sprekklengde
Sprekklengde is a term used in Dutch-language studies of spoken language to describe the length of spoken segments within discourse. It can refer to the average length of utterances or the average duration of utterances, depending on the method. The concept is closely related to, but not identical with, speaking rate (spreektempo) and fluency. In practice, researchers measure sprekklengde by segmenting a speech sample into utterances according to syntactic or prosodic boundaries, and then counting words or syllables per utterance or measuring durations in seconds. Common metrics include mean utterance length in words, mean utterance duration, and (less commonly) syllables per second when standardizing.
Applications include second language acquisition, where longer sprekklengde can indicate rising fluency, though context matters; in
Limitations: the term is not universally standardized, and segmentation rules vary across studies, which can hinder